The Spirit of Christmas
by Arenea Kostarra
Summary: Goku and his love for his family


The Spirit of Christmas

By Rene

Chichi closed the bedroom door of her youngest son, tiptoeing to the living room and opening a high cabinet. Inside was a large array of presents, all of them covered in brightly colored paper. She sighed, pulling the boxes out and setting them on the counter quietly. The last thing she needed was to wake up Goten and Gohan, then they'd never get back to sleep. She walked over to the brightly lit tree with the packages, arranging them nicely under the long branches. She looks up at the tree, spotting a flat ornament with a picture in it. 

Chichi stared at it almost entranced. It was bell shaped, not all that special…save the picture. She was in a white dress, young, innocent, carefree. She was clinging onto his arm. 'He' was in a clean white tuxedo, looking at her in surprise. Her wedding picture. She felt her throat close up, choking back tears. It all seemed so long ago, when she was happy, when her Goku was alive and well. The room began to get blurry, and for the millionth time that year, she thought it was all a dream, that she would wake up any second.

She did not wake up. The tear fell almost in slow motion, splashing the wooden floor. Chichi looked at it, as if for the first time actually knowing how much she missed him. She had to be strong, for the children, but suddenly she didn't want to be strong anymore. She struggled to her feet, wiping her eyes with a sleeve. She left the lights of the tree on, going upstairs where she wouldn't be ashamed to cry.

The room she had shared with him seemed so empty now, she collapsed on the bed, and her body shook as the tears flowed onto the soft cotton sheets. She curled into a ball, holding her knees to her chest, suddenly feeling so alone.

It was times like these that she wondered if she could do it all alone. Wondered if she could raise a family, if she could go on each day without him. The kids would wake up soon, and they would find her like this, that thought she couldn't bear. Unfortunately, she couldn't stop the tears, as they came, for an hour she sat there crying. Finally, grief turned to desperation, she didn't understand.

"Why…Why did you leave me all alone?" She cried to herself, burying her face into the bedding once more. 

She didn't feel the sudden warmth of the room, or the brief light. All she felt was someone sitting next to her on the bed. Shocked, she opened her eyes, afraid that her children has found her in such a state of instability, afraid of the problems that would cause.

When she looked up, it was not Gohan, or Goten. He was tall, with untidy black hair that shot in every direction. His bright ebony eyes shone at her with warmth, but the strange thing, was the halo over his head.

"Is it????How?" Chichi whispered, sitting up and looking him over, reaching out to touch him, but not actually doing so. He grinned, nodding and putting his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. 

"Yeah…it's me." He whispered, ever so softly, as if being any louder would break a delicate balance that went between the two. "You needed me, and I came."

"Goku? Why didn't you come back before? Why now?" Chichi asked, melting in his hold and resting her head on his shoulder.

"I can't stay." He said softly, putting a finger to her lips before he continued. " I only came to tell you something."

She began to cry again. Whether it was at the shock of seeing him or the fact she wouldn't see him again, even she didn't know. He pulled her closer, holding her tight. "I just want you to know, that no matter where you are, no matter when, that I am always here. I will always be here. That's why I came here tonight."

Chichi looked up at him "Why can't you stay?" 

"There are things that can't be done, though I hate to admit it." He was smiling as he spoke, comforting her. "When you feel like I'm not here, I want you to go to those two wonderful children of ours, look at them, really look at them. Then I want you to go outside, look up at the sky and whisper to me, "They're perfect." Do you know why? It's because I'm always watching over you, and I'll make sue that you live happy long lives. Then when the time comes, we'll be together again."

His eyes were beginning to tear up as well, he blinked, all traces of sadness gone. Chichi smiled as he brushed the tears from her cheeks, kissing her lightly. She stared blankly, before speaking up. "Can you stay? For Tonight?"

Brushing the side of her cheek lightly with his hand, he sighed. "I'll stay with you until you fall asleep."

She fell asleep in his arms, a small smile tracing her lips.

She awoke with a start to the sound of movement downstairs. The children were up. She hopped out of bed, walking down the stairs to find the children staring at the presents in anticipation. The were also staring at a round small package.

Chichi came down to see what they were looking at. It was a present to…her. From…no one. She took it and slowly opened it, the paper falling to the ground. The four star dragonball gleamed her reflection back at her. Suddenly she understood. Last night was no dream, and only she knew that Goku used to believe that his grandfather's spirit was in the four star ball. She also knew that Goku gave it to her, to say that his spirit was always there too. She looked at Goten and Gohan for five minutes without a sound, then stood up, and opened the window. She stared out of it and whispered so softly, that she could barely tell that she had spoken at all, "They're perfect"

Suddenly, she didn't feel alone anymore.


End file.
